Messenger says final farewell as Skype takes over in April

So long, old friend

Microsoft is officially closing the curtains on Windows Live Messenger to make way for Skype this April.

While it was previously reported that Messenger users will have to abandon the service on March 15, it turns out users will have a few extra weeks before Skype takes over their lives.

A Skype blog update confirmed that the transition will begin on April 8, and continue through the following few weeks as the update rolls out to all users.

Messenger desktop client users will be greeted by an upgrade notification that day, barring access to the service until it's accepted. Skype will then be installed while Messenger is quietly whisked away, never to be used again.

So long, old friend

The transition will primarily be for users of the Windows Live Messenger desktop client, as Messenger will continue to function on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.

Even so, after spending $8 billion on Skype, it's no surprise that Microsoft is still encouraging users to make the switch from Messenger on mobile devices too.

That is, unless you live in mainland China, which is immune to the update and will still have Messenger up and running for the foreseeable future.

While it's nice that Messenger users will get a few extra weeks out of the service, the unceremonious booting to Skype is still a bit of a kick in the pants for those who have stuck with older service all this time.